CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

She sat on the sofa, perplexed, while I paced the length of the room from one end to the other.

"Tell me what the hell is going on, Bella. You're looking very worried, and it's making me very worried too." Elena Torres, my best friend, observed from my office sofa. She'd followed me here after the gala, giving me space to break down. "Just stop pacing and talk to me. You know that you can tell me anything."

I touched my cheek. The swelling from where Vittorio violently slapped me had gone down, but I could feel the bruise forming. I'd covered it with makeup before Elena arrived. I couldn't let her see. Couldn't let anyone see what Vittorio had done.

 What my father had let him do.

"Papa sold me tonight." The words came out hollow, and I finally slumped on the sofa opposite her, feeling very weak. "To Vittorio Romano. The engagement announcement is in two weeks."

Elena's face went pale. She was on her feet in an instant, crossing to me. "Bella, he's"

"I know what he is," I said, wringing my hands in fear. "You don't have to tell me. Three missing girlfriends. A reputation for sadism that makes other monsters nervous. Records of repeated assaults which show how violent he can be. Tonight, he held a gun to my father's head until I signed the contract."

"Dio mio." Elena's hands were gentle as she turned me to face her, studying my eyes. "We called the FBI. I still have contacts"

"Vittorio has people in the FBI, in the police, in every government agency. Besides, what would we tell them if we got there? That two mafia families arranged a marriage that I am not willing to? They'll chase us out of the building." I laughed at the idea. "I'm being sold like it's the nineteenth century, and there's not a damn thing anyone can do about it."

"There's always something you can do. You're Isabella fucking Castellano. You don't accept defeat."

"Then help me think, because I'm out of options." I moved to the window, pressing my forehead against the cool glass. Across the city, I could see Salvatore Tower, two blocks away, its lights still burning. "I have two weeks before I become Mrs. Vittorio Romano. Two weeks before my life becomes a nightmare I can't wake up from."

Elena stood up and paced. "You could run. I have contacts who could get you out of the country"

"What about Sofia?" The thought of my baby sister made my chest tight. "Papa would use her to bring me back. Or worse, he'd marry her to Vittorio instead. She's twenty-three, Elena. I can't let Dad sell her to that monster. She's the sweetest person to ever walk this planet, and he would corrupt her soul. I won't let that happen."

"Then we need leverage. Something that makes you unavailable. Something your father can't dismiss or threaten his way around."

I stopped in front of her, clicking my fingers excitedly. “Exactly, Elena! That's it! What did my father value more than the Romano alliance? What would make me untouchable, unavailable, beyond even his reach?"

The answer hit me like a gunshot.

"I need to be engaged already," I said slowly, the plan taking shape in my head. "To someone he can't just eliminate or pay off. Someone with equal or greater power than the Romano family. Someone whose claim would start a war if Papa tried to break it."

It was an absurd idea, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense.

Elena stopped pacing. "Bella, there are maybe three families in Crimson Bay who fit that description, and none of them"

"Not a family." My heart started to race, as a particular person came to mind. "A person. Someone with their own empire, their own army, their own reasons to want an alliance with the Castellanos."

"You're not seriously considering"

"He's the only one who makes sense."

"Dante Salvatore hates you." Elena's voice was flat. "He's spent the last two decades trying to destroy everything you build. Last month he bought your favorite café's building just to triple the rent out of spite."

"Which means he's petty enough to enjoy ruining my father's plans." I was already pulling out my phone, my mind three steps ahead. "And arrogant enough to think he can handle being my fake fiancé without it meaning anything."

"Fake fiancé." Elena stared at me in awe. "You want to propose a fake engagement to the man you've always hated with passion since you were eight years old."

"I want to propose a mutually beneficial business arrangement to a ruthless opportunist who would enjoy nothing more than disrupting a Romano alliance. He likes chaos, so he's the perfect man for the job. Besides, no matter how much I hate his insufferable ass, I prefer being with him than to be with Vittorio. He might be an animal too, but he does not have the senseless bloodlust Vittorio has." I clicked on Dante's contact, which I labelled ‘son of a prick.’ "He gets access to Castellano territory, valuable contracts, and the satisfaction of outmaneuvering both my father and the Romanos. I get to avoid marrying a psychopath. Everyone wins."

"Except for the part where you have to pretend to be in love with your mortal enemy."

Something twisted in my chest at those words. I looked up at her with weary eyes. "It's business, Elena. We can both handle business."

"Can you, though?" Her voice was gentle now. "Bella, I've seen how you look at him when you think no one's watching. And I've seen how he looks at you. This could be dangerous in ways that have nothing to do with the mafia."

"I don't look at him any particular way."

"Sure. And I'm the Queen of England."

I ignored her, staring at Dante's contact on my phone. My thumb hovered over the call button. I was scared. This was insane. He'd laugh in my face. He would use my desperation against me, leverage it to his advantage, make my life hell while enjoying every bit of it.

But then I thought of Vittorio's dead eyes and the gun pointed at my father's head. This was a deal between the devil and the devil's son. I chose the devil's son. Only Dante could challenge Vittorio and come out of it alive.

I pressed the dial button. I did not expect him to pick up. He picked up on the third ring.

“Salvatore Holdings.” His deep, controlling voice filtered through the speakers. The voice that has irritated me since kindergarten.

“Isabella,” I replied.

“Isabella. To what do I owe this honor of a call at what? Eleven forty at night?”

I took a deep breath. “I need to see you tomorrow. Please. It's important.”

He gave an amused chuckle. “That's odd. We haven't talked in years, and you suddenly want to see me? So important enough to breach the decades-long enmity between our two families?”

“I have never called you. Ever. This is very important.”

There was silence at the other moment, and I could feel him weighing the options. Then, “My office. Nine a.m. tomorrow. And Isabella?” His voice dropped lower, sending a shiver down my spine. “This better be worth my time.” The line went dead.

I stared at my phone, wondering if I had

just made the biggest mistake of my life.